On Oct. 12, several Think Real Estate agents participated in the Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHSF) “Family Reunion” fundraiser. PHFS is a non-profit that “empowers homeless families with children to get back into housing and to stay there long-term.”

At the auction, PHFS raised a record-breaking $200,000 to help fund the non-profit’s ambitious growth and expansion. According to a post on PHFS’ Facebook page, the non-profit purchased a new campus with space for emergency housing for 26 families.

This new campus building will feature “trauma-informed design.” Since homelessness can be a very traumatic experience, especially for children, trauma-informed design helps spaces to aid in recovery and “build dignity, restore power, and promote autonomy.”

PHFS has their work cut out for them. A single parent with two kids would need to make $32.05 an hour to be able to afford the aver cost of a 2-bedroom apartment: $1,200 a month. And minimum wage in Portland is just $10.25 an hour. The lack of a living wage and affordable housing can compound with having to pay for childcare and experiencing racial discrimination.

You can learn more about why families can face homelessness on their website. They even have a link to an interactive game that simulates some of the challenges low-income families face.